Your top five pair of shoes (currently owned)
I assume you know me well enough to know that the list is going to be entirely Pleasers (pole shoes)—I have a few pairs that’re more practical, but the way to my heart is far more through sparkles and bright colors than through practicality 😁 that said, allow me to put in an honorable mention for my pink-swoosh Air Force Ones—super comfortable and supportive (especially with the inserts for my ridiculously high-arched feet) and even reasonably fashionable, they’ve been absolutely essential while I’ve been recovering from surgery. (Though of course I had to put purple laces in them.)
Now, on to the fun shoes!
5.) Purple sparkle vinyl 8” boots
As always, this is a selection rather than a ranking—I have so many super-fun pole shoes (and there are so many MORE I don’t own), which ones I use for a class or a show depends entirely on the outfit and mood I’m going for, as well as variables like my current level of ankle discomfort (boots are more supportive, but sandals give more flexibility), the color of my hair, the phase of the moon, etc. That said, these are the closest thing I have to a go-to pair—purple coordinates with all of my hair colors, the vinyl grips the pole well and makes climbing a breeze, and the sparkle is subtle enough to go with anything but pronounced enough to be noticeable. They were a Christmas gift from @thisisnotmolchanka, and she chose extremely well 💜
4.) Two-tone patent leather 6” sandals
These are super fun, especially under a blue light that makes the pink underside glow. I actually have a pair in 8” heels (the ones pictured are 6”) that I picked up at a clothing swap, they need new elastic in the straps but I fully intend to make more use of them when my ankle is stronger.
3.) Sound-reactive 7” light-up platform sandals
These actually require a video for the full effect:
Sadly, the concept doesn’t work half so well in practice. They’re dependent on a microphone for the sound reactivity, so there’s a noticeable lag; even trickier is that the decibel band at which they function is relatively narrow. Too soft and they barely light, too loud and it overwhelms the circuit; given that a dancer is constantly moving and thus changing their distance from the speakers, in use they mostly just look like random strobing. But the concept is so cool that I had to list them, even if they don’t get a lot of use.
2.) Blue rhinestone 8” chrome-platform boots
These are something of a pain to do tricks in—the chromed platforms are slicker than other styles, and the rhinestones are absolutely no help gripping the pole when climbing—but they are SO. SPARKLY. Even the photo doesn’t properly do them justice; put them under a point light source and they’re disco-ball levels of bright. Plus they’re one of the deepest, richest blue colors I’ve ever encountered.
1.) Rose gold prismatic 7” rhinestone-platform boots
I call these my Lady Gaga boots, because—well, I mean, LOOK at them. The fact that they’re throwing off rainbows in the photo is just icing on the cake 😁 I haven’t worn them much, largely because the rhinestones are delicate and get crushed easily (fun fact, they actually came with a small baggie of replacement rhinestones, but I do not have the patience to sit around for hours fiddling with toothpicks and glue). So when I bought them a couple of years ago, I decided to save them for a number where I was dancing to something properly sparkly and pop/fashion-themed. Does the fact that I’m pulling them out now mean anything? It certainly might! Keep an eye on this space…
ask me my top 5 anything!
